— Les galas de bienfaisance sont une des bases de la chorégraphie. Le système consiste à organiser des spectacles que l’on ne rejouera jamais, en échange d’une recette que personne ne verra jamais. Sinon, depuis le temps qu’on danse pour eux, les pauvres seraient riches, l’argent aurait changé de camp — ce qui est impensable.

The critics however were divided. For some, it was a dream cast wasted on a loud and boring piece of vaudeville, a flat script with an impertinent joviality or a flagrant dullness. Only Claudia Cardinale brings a little authenticity to the story. For others, Verneuil’s filmmaking is as sophisticated as ever and Michel Audiard’s dialogue is clever, rich and spicy. The actors are all perfect, with a special mention for Danielle Darrieux, who makes an unbearable bitch. It was because the movie shows a married woman having affairs with several men that some prudish critics rated this film “not suited for
people under 18 years”. — Henri Willems